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| 2.5-tonne female hippopotamus 'Bertha' in her enclosure in Manila zoo in the Philippine capital. |
Bertha, believed to be the world's oldest hippopotamus, has died aged
65, the Manila zoo said Monday, having beaten the typical lifespan for the
mostly herbivorous mammals by decades.
The 2.5-tonne female was found dead Friday in her enclosure, with a post
mortem examination concluding that Bertha, the zoo's oldest resident, had died
from multiple organ failure, zoo director James Dichaves said.
"Bertha was among the pioneer animals here. Her mate died sometime
in the 1980s and the couple failed to produce any offspring," he told AFP.
A seven-year-old Bertha arrived at the zoo in the Philippines' capital
the year it opened in 1959. The zoo has lost the records of where she came
from, Dichaves said.
Fed a diet of grass, fruit, and bread in a 1,000 square-metre
(quarter-acre) pen, Bertha lived far beyond the 40 to 50 year lifespans which
are typical for the species in the wild and in captivity respectively, Dichaves
said.
Zoo officials believed Bertha was the oldest living hippo in captivity
at the time of her death.
Donna, who died in 2012 at the age of 62 at the US Mesker Park Zoo and
Botanic Garden in Evansville, Indiana, was previously said to be the world's
oldest hippo, according to media reports at the time.
Two years ago, an adult male hippo named Bertie was euthanized at the
Denver Zoo in Colorado at the age of 58, the reports said.
Bertha's death touched off a wave of sympathy on social media.
"It's a sad day. Bertha the world's oldest hippo has passed
away," Twitter user Eric M. Davis posted with a crying emoji.
"You're one of my favourites to see in the zoo ever since. Sleep
peacefully," Jen Tolibas tweeted.
The common hippopotamus of sub-Saharan Africa faces a "high risk of
extinction in the wild" from habitat loss and illegal hunting for meat and
ivory from its teeth, according to the Swiss-based International Union for
Conservation of Nature.
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
criticised Manila Zoo's "cruelty" for having "imprisoned"
the hippo and other wild animals.
"Bertha's life at the Manila Zoo was one full of boredom, misery
and deprivation. It's a tragedy that she only realised freedom through
death," PETA's Jason Baker said in a statement.
"This cruelty will end only when animals are no longer held as
living 'exhibits'", Baker added.
Bertha's death leaves Mali, a 43-year-old Asian elephant, as the oldest
remaining animal among the some 500 residents at the Manila Zoo, Dichaves said.
PETA and global celebrities had teamed up on a seven-year campaign for
Mali, a female, to be retired from the zoo and sent to a Thai sanctuary.
However, the country's environment department eventually allowed the zoo
to keep the elephant after experts ruled it was healthy.
The authorities were also uncertain how Mali
would react to the other elephants at the Thai sanctuary, Dichaves said.
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